Thunderstorm
by LiraWM
Summary: They say that the most resilient parasite is an idea. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost imposible to eradicate. What if that idea was they had never met? Could Arthur and the rest of the team help Ariadne remember?
1. Chapter 1

She ran. She ran as fast as her short legs allowed her. Her lungs ached by the unusual effort they were put onto, but her mind kept pushing her body to move. The instinct of survival came first. She knew she didn't have to look back, the only thing that mattered now was what was straight ahead. She felt the hot tears frame her face as they jumped into the cold air and vanish along with her footsteps. They were catching up she could feel them, and yet she didn't see any of their shadows approach her.

She turned left, right, right again, left once more. She didn't know where she was heading, but there was a primal drive that dictated where to turn. She only hoped that hunch was accurate and led her to anywhere safe. She heard splashing on her back, footsteps no doubt. Her heart sunk, she gulped and couldn't resist the impulse to look over her shoulder.

There were three shadows approaching her.

She cursed and turned left once more, her eyes widened in horror at the realization of her mistake. It was dead end. In desperation she punched the wall, hoping this would help the wall to vanish. Checking if there was a way to climb, she noticed a brick that stood up from the rest.

She jumped and stretched her right arm to reach it. Her tiny fingers managed to grasp it. Pain surged immediately, the effort of putting all her weight into one limb cause her to gasp. Determined she looked up and faced the thousands of drops of water, chilling her neck. There was another brick. She stretched her left arm, pulling herself up and using her legs to help her up. Her legs kept slipping on the damp wall as she tried to reach what it seemed her last hope.

She knew she must looked pathetic, but that didn't stop her either way. Gulping she gave a quick look over her shoulder, against her own judgment. And saw her raiders walking calmly toward her. Like they knew her intents of escape were futile. She cursed them and cursed her little body and her lack of fitness. If only she had listened to her parents of taking some sport in high-school, if only she had taken that membership her friends offered to the gym. Maybe she wouldn't be here, hanging from one brick petrified.

Biting her lower lip, she shook her head. No, she wouldn't give up. Even if that was the last thing her body might do. This thought gave her the jolt she needed to reach that brick. She smiled in triumph, she looked up and noticed another brick. She couldn't help but feel thankful. She stretched her right arm, ignoring the increasing pain of doing so or the approaching attackers. Her short fingers grasped around it, she smirked as she pulled herself up. Even if that meant only to raise her body just a yard, that meant the world for her.

Desperately looking for another brick, her prayers were responded. Feeling the intoxicating sensation of a possible escape and the freedom she was holding dearly on her heart, she strained her left arm to reach it. Helping her body with a push of her legs. As her tiny fingers clenched to it, she felt relieved. She was going to make it. She ignored the cold water splashing over her face, the numbness of her body that begged her to surrender. There was just another brick, she could feel if before she reached the top of the wall and jumped into the unknown.

Her eyes looked everywhere for the last block, there was nothing else. Panic started to grow in the pitch of her stomach. She took a deep breath, she didn't have the time to surrender, not now that she was so close to escape. Desperate she scouted once more, there it was. The last brick was just on top of her head. Helping her body she placed her right foot on the first block and then her left on the second one. Feeling the thrill of the possibility to get away from this nightmare, she gave one last stretch to reach it. Her hand stretching as long as her limb allowed it. She was going to make it she knew it. She could feel the red constructing piece on the tip of her fingers, just one last push. Her nails caressed the frame of it. She bent her legs, preparing to jump and reach it. Letting go of the brick on her left hand she jumped with all the strength she had left.

All around her seemed to go in slow motion from that moment, she felt herself looking at her from the sky. As her fingers grasped around the brick, hurting her nails and possibly making them bleed. She saw her lips pulling up in a smile of triumph. But then the roar of a thunder shattered this, as she felt her ankles being pulled down. She felt her hope shattered in an instant, as she muttered 'No' in defeat.

Everything then went so fast, she felt how they took her by the thighs and pulled her down. Someone seized her by the waist, she started to kick in desperation. She hit someone, hard. She didn't know where but didn't regret it, in fact it gave her pleasure that she might had left a bruise in whatever it was. She elbowed the person that was holding her, it didn't turn out that effectively as she saw on the movies happen. He must be muscular to dismiss her hit so easily.

She felt a pair of hands grabbing her by the ankles, limiting her moves even more. She grasped when the guy sustaining her by the waist started to pull her to the street. She heard the sound of tires scratching the wet pavement, as a car pulled over near them. Her eyes widen with the realization, they weren't burglars, they had all the intentions of kidnapping her.

Concentrating all the strength she had left, she freed her right foot and kicked on the face to one of the attackers. Taken by surprise he released the left one, as he covered his face on the injured spot. A broken nose, no doubt. Taking advantage of the confusion, she elbowed once more the attacker on her back. This time she didn't aim for the chest, she went for the end of his ribcage. It turned out effective.

She heard someone scream, she didn't turn back to check who. This time she didn't aim to reach the bricks once more, instead she ran to the wall and pulled out of her jacket her last hope. She opened the lit and dialed just one digit. The phone started to ring gently on her ear as she saw the figures of the two man stand up and approach her slowly. She gulped and looked frenzy around her, begging for the line to connect. Finally a rough voice responded.

"Hello?"

"HELP ME COBB!"

And before she could say anything else, her raiders took her by the waist and legs. This time with more strength, immobilizing her completely. Her cellphone dropped to the damp floor as she was pulled to the car. One of the men reached out for the tiny red device and placed it over his ear. A smiled tucked in his lips. The voice on the other line kept repeating the name of the girl, his smiled pronounced. He chuckled and the voice went silent. It passed a couple of seconds before it spoke again.

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for money, I can provide it to you. Just let her go"

The man chuckled once more.

"I don't look for money Mister Cobb. That I have plenty, what I'm looking for are the set of skills you provide"

"Whatever you want, just let her go"

Silence fell, as the screams of the girl grew fainter. The man turned over his shoulder as he noticed the girl placed inside the car.

"Oh I will let her go, but I don't make any promises in which state.

"You son of a-"

"Mind the language, Mister Cobb. We'll be in touch"

And with that the man dropped the cellphone and smashed it with his right foot, as he walked to the vehicle. Hoping in, giving one last look out the window and giving a nod to the driver. The tires making once more the scratching sound over the pavement as the dark vehicle drove into the darkness.

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><p><strong>AN:** This idea, and a thunderstorm, woke me up at 4am. So here it is before it slips off my mind. If anyone insterested in updates about my fics, follow me on twitter. Thanks for reading


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of a cellphone ringing shattered the silence in the room. A figure wrapped with white cotton sheets rolled over, one arm emerged slowly from it and turned on the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. The light revealed the silhouette of a tall trim man with dark hair. He rubbed his brown eyes with his right thumb and index, before reaching out for the cause of his wake up. Frowning at the screen of the device. It was 3 in the morning. He let out a yawn before clicking on it.

"Hello?" he said clearing his throat.

"DAMN IT ARTHUR! WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

Immediately he pulled the phone away from his ear, afraid he might turn deaf if he didn't. A shade of irritation crossed his face as he raised his left eyebrow.

"Calm down, Cobb"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, it was always like this with him. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Ok, what's the situation?"

"THEY'VE TAKEN HER!"

He felt a jolt of alarm on his stomach but remained composed. He had to be calm for both of them. He sat on the border of the bed, placing his elbows on top of his thighs.

"Taken who?"

"ARIADNE!"

Silence. Somehow the air of the room disappeared along with the one inside his lungs. He gulped, his throat went dry and he felt his fingers tremble. A second later his mind started to work again, the first thing to do was to take a deep breath then concentrate. What he needed now was to start to trace the course of action, he didn't have time to sort out the emerging feelings he was developing at the moment. He needed to remain calm and focused, since Cobb couldn't.

Stepping out of the bed and in two strides he was over his briefcase pulling out his notepad, pen and laptop. His mind already racing with questions he needed to ask Cobb and information he required to investigate. Once he was installed on the desk in front of the bed, he opened the notepad as the computer started to log in, clicking his pen he looked at himself on the mirror in front of him. Finding his calculating gaze he frowned.

"Tell me what happened"

-.-.-.-.-.-

Eames always loved the after taste of pizza sunken by his favorite brand of beer. He burped and smirked in satisfaction. He was a man of simple tastes, he loved the scent of a great steak roasting slowly on the grill, the sight of cheese melting on top of anything edible and of course the gentle touch of a female, especially if she was touching him on the correct parts.

Yes, Eames treasured his life. It couldn't get any better than this. On top of that he was back to his beloved hometown. Nothing could ever compared to walk down the streets of London in the middle of the night, just after watching a cricket game in the local bar. After round and round of beers, and shamelessly snogging the bartender on her break, he decided to call it a night and head back home alone. Although the bartender almost practically begged him to take her and have a wild ride, he wasn't feeling up to. Certain nights he just loved walking in solitude back to his place.

Taking out the keys from his trousers' pocket, he unlocked the door and turned the lights on. Retrieving the mail pushed by the frame of the door, he stood up and walked to his answering machine. The number 5 flashed in red, a cocky smile formed on his lips already guessing from whom was one of the messages. Still with the keys on his hand, he pressed the button as he started to flip the letters addressed to him.

"You have five new messages, first message delivered at 8:47pm"

"Charlie? It's Sue. I heard you're in town, care for a dirty martini tomorrow and breakfast later? Call me if you're up to"

Eames snickered as he tossed aside one of the catalogs he found on his correspondence. "Oh sure I am" he said and then pressed one of the buttons of the machine.

"Message saved. Second message delivered at 9:15pm"

"Ray? It's Joshua. Just checking up if you're still alive. Call me if you need more loans, since you only call for that. Anyhow I'll be in Amsterdam if you need anything you know how to reach me"

"Lucky wanker" Eames muttered while opening a letter, he pressed the a dark button still smiling.

"Message erased. Third message delivered at 10:32pm"

"In Vodafone we know your family is important that is why-"

"Message erased. Fourth message delivered at 1:17am"

Eames rolled his eyes as he tossed away the envelope of a bank account report. 'Damn marketers' he thought.

"Hey Charlie" the voice purred and Eames couldn't help but smile "So listen, tomorrow is my day off. So want to finish what you started tonight? If you do, well… you know where to find me"

"Message saved. Final message delivered at 1:38am"

"Eames, it's Arthur. I need you to take the next flight back to where our last job was. We'll meet up on the same place. The bishop had been taken"

"There are no more new messages" the machine spoke. The only noise that followed was the sound of keys smashing on the hard wood floor.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Cobb sighed before raising his right hand, turning slowly the doorknob he opened the door. Peeping by the frame, he noticed two small forms tugged under the covers, their chests rising up gently. Stepping in carefully, he approached the one on the right first. A blond girl rested peacefully with her thumb placed in her mouth. Cobb smiled, placing a rebellious lock of her hair behind her ear. He bent over and placed a kiss on her left cheek. The little girl stirred a little but continued sleeping like nothing happened.

Turning to his left, Cobb faced the other kid on the room. The young boy was half exposed, the covers where up to his waist. Also he was sleeping in an awkward position that any adult would definitely regret the following morning. Cobb smirked and didn't try to fix him, instead he only pulled the covers up and placed a kiss on his forehead.

Walking a couple of steps backwards, he sighed, as he looked at his kids once more before gulping and turning towards the door.

"I love you guys" he muttered, closing the door behind him.

One figure approached him and placed a hand on his right shoulder, Cobb turned to face it. There was an old man with a sad smile printed on his lips. Cobb returned the same smile and nodded.

"I'll be back soon. I promise" Cobb said.

"I know you will" Miles responded, squeezing his son-in-law's shoulder.

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><p><strong>AN:** I will try to upload at least twice a week while the idea is still burning in my skull. For any more info follow me on twitter.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Ariadne noticed when she regained consciousness was she laying on her back on something cold and hard, she moved her fingers a little to feel the texture. It was concrete. She took a deep breath the scent of moist filled her lungs. She heard the sound of a drop of water splashing on what it seemed a metal surface. Before opening her eyes she gave a couple of seconds to her body so it would do a little scan about her conditions. There was nothing to be alarmed of or so it seemed.

She opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times, giving them time to adjust at the poor illumination. Once that was settled she gave a quick scan from where she was. The room wasn't that big, just barely 20 feet each wall and 8 feet tall. She used her arms to push herself up and almost immediately her fingers and arms complained. Evidently a clear reminder of the failed escape she tried to pull. She felt her abdomen ache when she bent over, instantly she hugged it. She didn't need to check to know there were bruises there, courtesy of the brute that dragged her here.

She turned left and noticed a folding bed with a worn white futon. She frowned, at least they could had dumped her on top of it. There was also a blanket folded on top of the bed along with a pillow that seemed to be purchased in one of those dollar stores. She grimaced at the cheapness of her kidnappers, but it could be worse. She could be tied up with nothing to cover herself.

She heard the sound of water splashing and turned to her right. There it was a sink with one faucet, a plastic cup next to it with a toothbrush and a toothpaste, again provided by those dollar stores. She thought that at least they cared about her oral hygiene. She noticed next to the sink a white porcelain toilet. She raised her left brow. So much for privacy.

She looked at the front waiting to see the typical cartoonish iron bars, she fond none. Instead there was an iron door, heavily shut. She sighed and looked at the ceiling, there was a light bulb hanging. She frowned and looked at all the walls, searching for a switch. Finding none she sighed, great now she couldn't even control the lighting in her own cell. She gave another quick scan to the room. There were no windows, the walls were dully gray and made of solid concrete.

Moving her body to the wall on her back, she rested her head on it.

Her mind instantly started to revive the moments before she was dumped there. She closed her eyes and sighed. How she ended from being a typical architectural student to a prisoner? She remembered walking out the library of her school. She had been spending the past two weeks on there. Religiously going after her classes were over until the building was closed. Since it was finals season the library stretched the normal schedule to 2am. Most of the students studied there until midnight, only a few remained for the whole time. That included her.

She had left the library just like any of the other nights, it was Friday night so most of the students decided to take a break and leave earlier. But not Ariadne, she stupidly decided to stay a little longer to finish at last that term paper for her medieval architecture class. If she had accepted the invitation for drinks from her colleges she wouldn't be stuck in this mess. The librarian was a little spiteful at her, for making her stay longer. She smiled apologetically as she passed the front desk and walked out the building.

She was so concentrated in finishing her document that she didn't even realized it was pouring outside. She cursed under her breath, remembering she didn't brought an umbrella with her. Her bones started to chill, she hugged herself. She started to seize her options when the librarian came out, locked the door behind her and pulled out a big red umbrella, capable of sheltering two people easily below it. The librarian gave her a mocking smile and walked away. Ariadne waited until she was out of earshot before yelling bitch.

An idea hit her, she smiled at her brilliance as she pulled her cellphone from her jacket. She looked on her agenda for one of the few friends she had that owned a car. She placed the phone on her ear, muttering 'pick up' 'pick up' her face lit when a voice responded her.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jane! Listen-"

"Ha! Sorry, not available at the moment. Leave your message after the beep"

Beep. Ariadne narrowed her eyes and hung up. "Stupid Jane and your sick sense of humor" she muttered saving the device on her jacket.

Now the only way was by taxi, she started to look for her wallet on her bag when she remembered she was supposed to head the ATM before going to the library. She considered the option of asking for a cab and paying it once she arrived but then remembered there was no money there either. And thanks to the generous payment of Saito she decided to buy her own flat and live on her own, so now she couldn't count on the assistance of a roommate. Cursing in the two languages she was fluent, she resigned to get soaked.

Looking at the sky and seeing the rain wasn't lessening, she sighed and started to run towards her apartment. Her clothes wrapped her body tightly, her jeans absorbing every drop and making it weight more. Nevertheless she kept on running. Her sight clouded and she tried pathetically to cover her eyes with her hands.

She was running for five minutes when she sensed someone following her. She looked over her shoulder to check, nothing. She dismissed the thought as she kept running. A couple of steps and the hairs of her neck rose in alarm. She stopped and checked again, again nothing. Feeling silly at her paranoia, she kept on running. She was approaching the building when she heard clearly a couple of steps sprinting on her back. She frowned and looked over her shoulder. Even if there was no one there, she could bet her life she heard something.

Frowning she turned completely and check the street. She double-checked at the alleys she passed by. She was about to continue her way to her place when she noticed from the corner of her eye a tall male, covered in a black trench coat with a matching hat, emerged from one of the alleys near her. Her first thought was he was another civilian, running from the rain just like her, but when the man started to walk towards her slowly, she knew he was coming for her. She gave a couple of steps back, not entirely believing what was happening. But when the man was close enough for her to see his face, she noticed a cruel smirk printed on his lips. In that instant Ariadne knew there was one thing to do. Run.

When she turned to sprint on the opposite direction of the man, another figure appeared in front her, blocking her way. Her legs freezing on the spot. Seizing her options and feeling like a cornered animal she walked a couple of steps back. Seeing the only way was through the middle of the street, she ran to it. A car was approaching and to her favor it stopped one of her pursuers as it hit the brakes.

The other man was catching up she could feel it. She was just turning right on the corner when she felt being pulled by something. Panicked she looked over her shoulder and noticed a gloved hand holding her by her schoolbag. In an act of desperation she pulled the bag to her, releasing it from his grasp. Noticing the potential her bag held, she took it by the strap and swung it. It connected with his head with the full weight of two hard cover texts books of 1,000 pages each. Disorienting the man. Taking this as an opportunity Ariadne dropped her bag and ran as fast as her legs could.

Among the way she started to scream for help, both men catching up with her. She then saw a third figure appeared right in front of her. She cursed and turned right to an unknown street. And that how it went until she reached that blasted dead end. And after being pulled unceremoniously to the car, she felt a humid rag being placed on her mouth. At first she thought it was to silence her. But when she smelled the chloroform she knew all hope was gone.

She opened her eyes and gaze at the door, she blinked a couple of times. She smashed her head on the wall in desperation. Everything just seemed like it was pulled out of a tv show. She felt so tired and disoriented she desperately needed some reassurance. She checked on her left wrist, her digital watch was gone. Biting her lower lip she closed her eyes and begged the other thing that kept her down to earth was still there. She introduced her right hand on her jean's pocket she found nothing but lint.

She frowned. Why did they take away her totem? The watch she understood but the totem? For the normal people it was just a bronze bishop. Nothing outstanding. Maybe they took it as a precaution, like if that was even possible. The only use Ariadne could think was merely as decoration. Or maybe… they knew the purpose of it. She shook her head, no they couldn't possibly know. And yet it was making perfect sense. Why else someone would take interest in kidnapping her? Is not like her family had a lot of money to pay a generous rescue, hell she only saw that much money gathered in one place when she checked her bank account in L.A after the inception job, and that was two months ago and most of the money was already gone. She thought of the possibility of being sold in the black market, but she knew her appeal wasn't exactly that profitable. Not like she had low self-esteem, she was just realistic.

The only option left was the dreamscape business. Maybe due to her participation in the Fisher's job they were looking for someone to work for them. Maybe the kidnappers needed her to design a dream level. Maybe Fisher found out about what they did to him and is collecting his revenge. Or maybe… they needed her as bait for the rest of the team. Her eyes widen at the realization.

"No" she whispered.

How could she have been so self centered? They weren't up for her they needed Cobb and the rest of the team. And the only way they would cooperate was if someone connected with them was in danger. It had to be, it was the only possible explanation. She was the easiest target of course, the weakest link. Now thanks for her stupidity they would all risk their necks to retrieve her. Her eyes started to crystalize at the thought of Cobb risking his new life with his family for her, after he went through so much trouble. Her mind finally grasped the gravity of her mistake. She hugged her legs and pulled them to her chest. Resting her face between her knees, she closed her eyes and started to sob quietly.

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><p><strong>AN:** I know I said twice a week but I couldn't help myself :) ideas keep flowing naturally. Now time for shamelessly promotion! Interested in updates, random stuff, follow me on twitter.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur grimaced at the taste of his coffee. Economy class certainly didn't suit him anymore. Not after being pampered by his multiple rich clients on their private jets, with freshly grind Colombian coffee and imported pastries from Paris to accompany it. But due to circumstances he had to suck it up and take whatever seat was available on the plane.

It was only one hour and a half flight from Zurich to Paris. In that time he had to endure the cheapness of the cuisine, the uncomfortable size of the seat and the snoring neighbor on his right. Thankfully destiny pitied on him and he got the seat by the window. Giving a disapproving glare to the man next to him, he pulled out his briefcase from under his seat. Taking out his laptop and notepad, he unlocked the service table and resumed his work.

After the call was over Arthur phoned Eames, frowning after listening the forger's obnoxious and distasteful message of his answering machine, he left the message. The point man only hoped that Eames would be back soon from whatever dump hole he was and get the message. After that he packed his things and headed straight to the airport. To his misfortune the only flight available was at 7:30am. He cursed mentally but paid reluctantly taking his boarding pass he passed security and headed to the waiting room. Once he was settled he felt the weariness fall upon his shoulders. It was just 3:20am and it didn't help he had only slept two hours.

Rubbing his eyes with his right thumb and middle finger, he sighed and pulled out his laptop. After comparing notes, his mind drifted to the information Cobb passed him. It wasn't much but it was a start. After analyzing the few words the kidnaper said to the extractor, Arthur realized he needed to tie down some loose ends about Ariadne before anything else.

First he needed to cover the true whereabouts of the architect, what they didn't need right now was someone rising the alarm of her disappearance. Thankfully she lived by her own, so he didn't need to elaborate something for a concerned roommate. Now were the school and the family. The school was easy, he'll tell them the same thing they did the last time. As for the family the only way he thought was to hack into her e-mail and write to them about that job offer, that would explain why she wouldn't be reporting to them that frequently. That would definitely do.

Now, to wrap the whole thing nicely, he needed to inform her closest friends about where she would be for the next couple of weeks. He felt a sour taste in his mouth at the thought of Ariadne been kept for that long. Images of the things those bastards could be doing to her at the moment were devouring him on the inside slowly. 'Don't go there Arthur' shaking his head, he needed to remain focused. They will find her, he will make sure they will.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Once his nerves were calm again, he continued his previous thoughts. The best way to explain her friends why Ariadne was out reach without rising any suspicion was to broadcast the same lie told to the school and the family. Eames would pass as the employer who hired Ariadne the last time, commenting she was back on the firm but since the project was too big he required the assistance from another student. Well knowing how it was like to be a senior student, Arthur predicted that most of her classmates, including her friends, would be so thrilled to get the position that it will keep their minds busy to inquire any further about her whereabouts.

Arthur was so focused on constructing the perfect façade for her kidnapping that he lost track of time. It wasn't long before all the passengers were called to board. Packing all his belongings, the point man walked to the front desk like any other passenger handing the boarding pass and taking his seat.

Now here he was, staring at the screen of his laptop, trying to trace the next step. However his mind neglected to give him any answers. Arthur frowned and rubbed his temples. His eyes started to sting, feeling the pressure right behind them. He massaged them gently with his fingers but the pressure kept on growing. Frustrated he closed the laptop and placed it back into his briefcase. It was impossible to think when the menace of a mild headache was approaching. He locked the service table and adjusted his seat as comfortable as it allowed to, even if that meant bending only 10º to the back.

There was no use if his mind wasn't cooperating instead he decided to give it a break for the remaining time of the flight. Hoping it would clear his head and help him concentrate later.

-.-.-.-.-.-

The fastest way of course was by plane, but since the last job Eames was resentful to airplanes. Nothing against them, just the reminder of the Inception job was enough to make him twist his mouth in disgust. True, things had worked at the end but still today he couldn't flight comfortably without having flashbacks. And let's not talk about white vans.

As the taxi pulled over the Heathrow Airport, Eames paid the driver generously as he took out of the trunk his suitcase. The driver wished him luck and drove away. The forger checked on his watch, 5:20am. With boarding pass in hand he went straight ahead to the gates. On the way he decided to indulge a bagel with cream cheese and latte. Taking a seat next to one of the many wide windows of the airport, he sipped his coffee as he waited for the announcement on the speaker.

He took out his cellphone and tried once more to reach Arthur, it went straight to voice mail again. Of course, the ever so efficient Arthur right now must be on a plane from whatever part of the world he was heading to the city of lights. So any chance of getting more information from him was out of the question. He would have to wait.

Giving a bite to the bagel, Eames lie back on his seat and started to replay the message in his head. It didn't say nothing but the absolutely essential. Eames smirked. It had been like this since he met Arthur 5 years ago. Always taking care of all the things the rest of the team didn't bother to even acknowledge. That was his job and hell he was good at it. The most boring job according to the forger, but someone had to do it. Nevertheless he would not risk his neck in a big job if Arthur wasn't the point man, he only trusted in the wits of the neatly dressed American.

Taking the last sip of his coffee he tossed it to the garbage can in front of him, in a really childish way. The paper cup landed inside in a clean shot Eames grinned '2 points for me' He received a couple of stares from his neighbors, that included a brunette with curly hair and big brown eyes. The resemblance to the young architect brought back some questions, instead of proceeding like he would normally do, he decided just smile at her and return to his thoughts.

Eames wondered who else would be involved in this case. Did Arthur call everyone? Or like him, someone else informed the point man? Maybe Cobb raised the alarm to his trustworthy right hand and let him take care of the rest. If that was the case, the forger pitied the extractor. Why was he always the bearer of the bad news? Perhaps the kidnappers just wanted Cobb so they were using the petite girl as bait. That wouldn't be shocking at all, in fact it was too predictable for the taste of the Englishman.

What was with the bad guys and their lack of imagination? It was always revenge or power. He wouldn't even be surprised if the mastermind behind this operation was a man with a black coat, sitting on a black leather chair with an eye patch and a cat on his lap. Laughing maniacally as he patted his furry friend. Ok, he had seen too much espionage movies recently. However someday he hoped to meet a decent criminal to loathe and claim revenge on.

Nevertheless with bad guy with eye patch or not he was going. Not only because she was his former coworker and held information that could jeopardize the team and himself, also because she had been nice to him without needing to be. Besides he always toyed with the idea of playing the English gentleman card and help a damsel in distress. He chuckled at the thought of wearing a black tuxedo with a martini on his left hand and a Cougar Magnum on the right. Now he really needed to stop watching those movies altogether.

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><p><strong>AN:** Can you tell I have a lot of fun writing about Eames? Sorry can't help it, for me he seems capable enough to think those things even in moments like that. Anyhow thanks for reading and the reviews, they do mean the world to me.


	5. Chapter 5

Ariadne woke up exhausted, she had fallen asleep curled up upon the wall. There was still no light in the room. She didn't know how long she was out, and how much time that added to the one before she was thrown to her prison. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands, feeling the residues of tears glued to her eyelids, she cleared her vision and noticed something. She was hungry.

She stood up and walked to the sink on the corner, she couldn't see much but her reflection greeted her. As expected she was a mess, she grimaced and opened the faucet. She cupped her hands and splashed her face, she did this a couple of times before closing the faucet and look back at her reflection. Using the water left on her hands she fixed her hair into a shape, similar to her usual style. She knew this had no purpose, after all why bother looking decent when clearly there was no one to see it. But this little gesture made her feel she had control on something in a situation that obviously was out of her hands.

Glancing at the plastic cup and the toothbrush in it, she clicked her tongue and filled the cup. Unwrapping the toothbrush from its package and after putting a fair share of toothpaste on it she started to brush. Due to force of habit, her mind started to wonder. She always used that moment of her rutine to think of the previous day and what to do for the following one. Of course this time there were not much to analyze. She was trapped, she didn't know for how long she was or would be. Considering this last statement Ariadne spat on the sink and stopped the cleaning, gazing at her reflection, not really looking.

How long would it take Cobb and the others to reach her? Were they already on their way? Did they already know who her kidnapers were? She took a sip from her cup and cleaned the left overs in her mouth. Cleaning her toothbrush with the remaining water she looked at her reflection one last time before walking to her bed.

There was another question in her head, it spoke in such a tiny voice that it was almost imperceptible but still remain inside nevertheless. Sitting on the border of the bed, she placed her elbows over her knees and rested her face over her palms. And what if they weren't coming? What if they thought it wasn't their problem? That every man was on it's own? What if Cobb just did the civilian thing and just passed the message to the police? Not that she didn't think the police wasn't efficient in these cases, but somehow if that turned out to be the case, she would feel a little hurt that they didn't do anything to help her.

But why would she expect something from them in the first place? True they had shared a mind-blowing experience where everyone risked more than they were up to in the first place, almost dying in the process. But was that enough? She did consider them more than coworkers, they had turned out to be more than she expected. She wouldn't call them friends, but there was something in each of them that she cherished and held dearly in her mind. However, what if they didn't think the same? What if that inexplicable attachment for them was just in her head? A consequence to a life threatening experience. What if they just consider her a brilliant asset but expendable one? She gulped and shook her head. No, she couldn't afford thinking like that, not now in the situation she was. She had to remain positive and believe in them. They were coming she could sense it.

The brightness of the light bulb blinded her for a couple of seconds before she shelter her eyes with her right hand. The door creaked as it was being opened slowly, revealing a tall shadow behind it. Her body immediately tried to squirm to the end of the bed but her mind stopped it from doing so. She had to look strong, even if she wasn't feeling it. Her eyes finally adjusted to the light and gave form to the shadow.

It was a tall skinny man with long dark brown hair styled in a mane pulled to the back. His entire outfit was black, the leather jacket, the dressing shirt underneath, jeans and boots. Ariadne caught a glimpse of a holster on his right thigh with no doubt a gun inside. She looked up and found on his right hand a white plastic tray with what it seemed food on top of it. Her stomach grunted delighted. Ariadne felt ashamed her body betrayed her in a moment like that, but if he had heard the sound he didn't acknowledge it.

They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, Ariadne trying to burn holes into his skull. But the man didn't return the hatred instead he was looking at her calmly. The connection was broken when his eyes drifted to her body, taking every detail of her figure. Ariadne felt exposed, dirty. In a natural but childish impulse she covered her chest. Like that would stop him and apparently he thought the same because he was a half smiling. Mocking at her or so it seemed.

Ariadne felt rage build up inside, she wanted to erase that smirk off his face and put a hole between his eyes with the same gun he was carrying. But she knew there was no way of she overcoming a man like that, even if he wasn't as built up like the orangutans that took her, she could seize he was as tall as Arthur. Which it was something considering that the point man overpass her by almost 10 inches. So instead of trying anything she resigned to just glare at the man.

He broke the eye contact by placing the tray on the floor near the door in a casual manner, like he knew she had no chances to overcome him. She cursed mentally but kept on watching every move. Once he was up he gave her one last look, Ariadne kept on daring him with her eyes. He smirked once more before taking the doorknob with his left hand and closing the door behind him.

"You have 30 minutes" he said.

Ariadne blinked a couple of times, not fully understanding what he meant by that but when her stomach growled she pushed that thought aside. Remembering how hungry she was she almost jumped to the tray, but she didn't want to throw away her dignity, instead she just walked casually to it and picked it up. Walking to her bed she inspected the items on top of it. There were two loafs of bread, a slice of American cheese wrapped in plastic, just like those sold on the supermarket. She frowned and continued her inspection. There was a small package of baby carrots, there was no brand printed on it, a red medium apple, some napkins and a bottle of water. The label of the last item had been ripped off.

At first she didn't understand why this was important but after taking a bite from the apple her mind connected the dots. They were trying to confuse her, not knowing what type of brands her food was from she couldn't possibly figure out where she was been held. Not like it mattered anyway, is not like she could yell her position. Even if she knew where on earth she was it wouldn't change the situation that she was a prisoner and there was nothing for her to do but wait.

A couple of minutes passed and she was done with the food. Placing the tray to the end of the bed she sat on the corner and waited for the time to run out. She didn't know what he meant by saying she had only half hour. Did he mean she had only that time to eat if not he would take the food away from her? Or did he mean he was going to turn off the lights after the time ran out? Whatever it was, she had to wait until it was the time. Which infuriated her, she hated waiting.

After a while boredom took over her, she was tired of staring at the door. She desperately needed to do something. She took the empty bottle of water and started to squeeze it, trying to release some stress. After a while she started to shape it into various forms, which it was fairly disappointing since the structure of it didn't let up for much bending. Tossing it back to the tray she took the napkins and saw some potential on them.

She remembered that one afternoon she was overstressed, she was stuck on the design of the third level for the inception. Her mind neglected to work as she grown desperate for a solution to the maze. She bit her lower lip in frustration and tossed her pencil in a furious manner to her right. Smashing her head to the desk she closed her eyes and puffed in resignation. A hand landed over her right shoulder, she jerked up confused looking for the owner. To her surprise it was Saito.

"Frustrated, are you Miss Ariadne?" he asked with a serene look.

Ariadne smiled apologetically and nodded.

"I see"

He looked to his right and with a quick gesture he pulled a chair next to her. Sitting on it he started scouting the things on top of her desk, he reached up to the pack of white sheets of paper.

"May I?" he asked motioning the package.

Ariadne nodded, he took one sheet and placed it in front of him. After a couple of seconds of silence he started to fold it from various angles. The architect observed carefully as the businessman thoroughly worked on the sheet of paper. After a minute or so he turned to her with the final result on his right palm. Ariadne blinked a couple of times before realizing what he had in his hand was what it looked like a rabbit.

"You see Miss Ariadne. One must not go after the white rabbit if it keeps eluding us. One must wait until it comes to us naturally"

Ariadne frowned not fully comprehending what he meant by that. He placed the figurine next to the sketch she was working on and left her alone. Still confused she took the figurine with her left hand and another pencil from the case with her right, she drew an eye, nose and whiskers on the animal. Gazing at it for a couple of seconds an idea finally hit her. She placed carefully the rabbit back to its place and resumed the sketch she was working on. Once she was done with the model she ran excitedly to Cobb to show her the final draft. He was currently talking to Saito, the extractor gave it a quick scan before nodding in approval. Ariadne smiled widely and looked to the businessman, he gave her a slight nod. Ariadne returned the gesture and head back to her desk. Finally understanding the meaning behind his words.

Ariadne sighed as the memory slipped back to the depths of her mind. She caressed the napkin with her fingers. She bit her lower lip, trying to remember how Saito had done it. After a while she figure it out and she now held a copy of that rabbit in her hand. She smiled at it and placed it carefully near her pillow. In that instant the door flung open, it made Ariadne jump but she didn't say anything. The same man walked in towards her, he took the tray and looked at her. She held his stare for a couple of seconds before his eyes drifted to the left and noticed the folded animal on her pillow. Ariadne gazed at the same direction and glared back, daring him to do something about it. He didn't do or comment anything instead he only walked back to the door and closed it firmly behind him.

Ariadne was expecting to the lights went off when the door again flung open. This time the man didn't move from the frame of the door, instead he threw at her a roll of toilet paper, which she caught with both hands. Ariadne looked at it then back to her captor's eyes. They didn't reveal anything just plain dark orbs staring at her. He turned to leave but stopped at the last moment. He gave her a look over his left shoulder.

"Don't waste it all in origami"

Ariadne blinked a couple of times, before she could respond anything he closed the door behind him. She heard footsteps fading away, clearly leaving her by herself. The architect looked once more to the toilet paper on her hands and frowned wondering what had just happened.

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><p><strong>AN:** So how was it? Did you like it? If you have any recomendations or you want to point out something, please feel free to tell me so. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate your feedback and support.


	6. Chapter 6

When Arthur opened the door of the warehouse he wasn't surprised to see Eames already inside. Both men greeted by nodding and exchanging glances. Arthur went straight ahead to where his desk usually resided, followed by the Forger's stare. He knew he was bursting to ask all the questions his message fail to clarify. But at the moment the only thing Arthur's mind was thinking was where to start.

As he placed the silver briefcase on top of the light layer of dust his desk collected, Arthur took the perfectly tied Winsor knot of his tie and loosed it a little. He took a deep breath and turned to face the other man on the room. Eames seemed collected enough, years on the business might taught him some mannerisms in situations like this. The Point Man was thankful for that.

After a couple of seconds in silence, both men staring at each other, the English man relaxed his shoulders and walked a couple of steps to the Point Man. Arthur frowned at this gesture but didn't move, but when the Forger stood right in front of him, Arthur rose an eyebrow. In a second Arthur felt the bulky arms of the Forger embracing him tightly. He didn't respond, instead he just stood there befuddled by the gesture.

"I am sorry mate"

Arthur frowned at his words, what he meant by saying he was sorry? Is not like it was his fault Ariadne had been kidnapped so why he was apologizing for? The Point Man stood there, feeling a little uncomfortable by the sudden expression of affection from his teammate. Yet he didn't comment anything. A couple of seconds passed until Eames loosened up and took a stepped back. They stared at each other's eyes until the forger half smiled and patted the Point man on the shoulder.

"We'll find her"

Arthur nodded. As the Forger turned and walked back to the nearest chair, Arthur started to wonder that maybe what the forger needed was some reassurance, maybe the hug wasn't to comfort him after all. Pushing these thoughts aside Arthur pulled a chair and sat next to the Forger.

"So… when does our lovely Extractor join us?" the forger asked while laying back on the chair

"Tomorrow, noon"

Eames nodded as he stared at the ceiling. An uncomfortable silence fell upon the pair. Arthur stood up and reached for his briefcase, pulling out his notepad he took back his seat. Watching all his moves, Eames bended a little over as a sign that he was listening. After flipping some pages Arthur looked back at the forger.

"Cobb received the call around 5pm which means it was 2 in the morning here. I need you to go to her place and look for clues"

"What about you?" Eames asked tilting his head to the right.

"I'm going to the cellphone company and reactivate her number. There might be something in there, also just to be safe"

The forger nodded brushing the tip of his nose with his right index. Arthur proceeded.

"I can break into the surveillance system of Paris but I need to know where she could possibly had been before she was taken. So anything you find, inform me"

Eames nodded and stood up, fixing his jacket. Arthur opened his jacket and pulled out a small cellphone, extending it to the Forger.

"Here, my number is already in it"

Taking it with his right hand and saving it on his jacket's pocket, Eames nodded.

"You have the address?" Arthur asked looking up from his notes.

"No need, I already know where she lives"

Arthur raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Eames half smiled while fixing the neck of his shirt.

"Been there before" the forger explained

Arthur frowned and felt a minor unpleasant sensation settle in the pit of his stomach. However he didn't out voice his thoughts, instead he nodded and looked back at his notes.

Taking this a sign to leave, Eames checked on his watch and started to walk to the door. Once he was on the frame of it he glanced at the Point Man one last time. As usual Arthur was already scribbling down some notes while pulling out his loyal laptop from his briefcase. Eames sighed and walked away from the warehouse.

After taking a couple of train stations Eames reached the apartment of the Architect. The building looked nicer than the place she used to live before. Of course after a 7-digit figure deposited to her account it was expected she changed neighborhoods. In fact he was the one who suggested her to change places in the first place.

He still remembered the first time he offered himself to accompany her one night she stayed to long on the warehouse. Paris was a beautiful city but at night in the wrong places it could turn just like any other city in the world. The building of the petite woman was just like any of the places that sheltered college students. Old, small and crowed.

So when she invited him over it was a surprise he fit in at all, the corridors where narrow and poorly lit. Eames almost laughed when she opened the door of her apartment and found it was a single room, there was a small bed cornered at the end of the room with a small covered window, right next to it a desk and on the corner near the door there stood a minibar with a microwave on top of it. There was another door opposite to the bed, which Eames assumed it lead to the bathroom.

"Bienvenu a la chateau le Ariadne's"

"Sweetie don't want to be rude but I don't think anyone but you could possibly fit here" he mocked.

She punched him gently on the arm.

"Don't laugh jerk. It's all I could afford here. Besides you haven't seen the best" she said walking inside.

Closing the door behind him Eames grinned

"What? The bathroom? Unless you have your knickers hanging up in there I have no interest on going in there" he sneered as he walked a step closer.

"No you pervert, I mean this"

She said this pulling a string from the window, revealing what was behind it. Eames had to admit the view was spectacular, even if it was a tiny window you could see clearly the Eifel tower from there.

"Well unless you blindfold your dates and only show them this view. It is a good place to live" he commented half smiling.

"And just for that comment you're paying for the pizzas"

Eames chuckled as the flashback slipped away, it seemed that day was really long ago. Sighing he walked inside the building in front of him. He didn't need to make that much of a excuse to the guard, he already knew him. After all he was there when the Architect signed the papers for the new place to live. Even if he felt like her shopping buddy, he felt flattered she had chosen him to aid her with that type of choice.

So when he told the guard he lost his key of her girlfriend's apartment and he was trying to surprise her by decorating her place, the guard didn't oppose much. Giving him a spare key he walked to the elevator. Pushing the 5th floor button he waited until the doors were closed. In silence he started to meditate what to look for once he was there. The bell rang and the silver doors opened smoothly. He walked to the left and reaching the last door of the corridor he opened the black wood door.

The place looked exactly like the last time he was there, she had invited him for tea and pastries last time he was in town. After telling her that even if he was English that didn't necessarily meant he was fond of tea, she throw away the charade and ordered pizzas. Later that afternoon he had helped her to pick up the furniture and some ornaments. Even if he would never admit it, he was fond of house decoration.

He started to scout her place, looking for anything that could possibly help them trace what happened the day she was taken. There was no sign of anything that helped him figurate out if she went out with her friends, and by the looks of the dishes on the sink she hadn't been at home since the morning. He was heading to her bedroom when he noticed a red little flashlight shining on the corner. Heading to it he noticed the answering machine blinking at him. There was a message. Eames pressed the button and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You have a new message delivered today at 8:32am" the machine spoke.

"Hey Ari, it's Jane. Sorry I didn't pick up last night, I forgot my cell at my place. Anyhow why you're not answering your cell and why weren't you at Remy's last night? Please don't tell me you were at the library _again._ I swear one of these days your ears will be puffing out smoke. Anyway you better be tonight for Andrew's birthday party if not you're so dead. Well got to go, see ya"

Bingo

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><p><strong>AN:** No, I haven't forgotten this story nor PYT. That's how my head works, sometimes it craves for romance (PYT), sometimes for something fresh (Jukebox) and sometimes (like this) for drama. Anyhow thanks for reading ^^ support me by leaving me loving reviews Pluuuuuease?


	7. Chapter 7

It had been easy to reactivate her number, he only had to say the right things to the correct person and presto! Piece of cake. Now the real problem was to hack into the Parisian police surveillance. He had told Eames it was easy for him, which it was, but Arthur suspected it wouldn't be that simple in this occasion. The last time he hacked into the system was to plant a bug so he could copy the transmission of the cameras surrounding the warehouse during the Inception job. Now he feared that they had caught his little trick and doubled the security.

The point man tapped his right index on top of the desk as he caressed his chin with his left thumb, thinking thoroughly how to approach this predicament. He couldn't jeopardize to be caught and blocked from the mainframe, not in a moment like this. This time he couldn't afford to retreat and come back later, the clock was ticking and any mistakes could mean the difference between success and utter failure.

Arthur sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. The migraine from earlier threatened to overpower the painkillers he swallowed before he landed. Stretching his back on the chair he opened his eyes slowly, gazing the ceiling. Trying not to think about anything, but failing miserably. His mind started to wonder about the situation at hand.

The why was already clear, they wanted Cobb badly. But the how was still a puzzle to him. How could they have linked her to them? He had been so careful to erase their tracks and remove any possible way of communication with her. It was almost as they had never ever met her, never existed in her life. So how could they have known she had worked for them? Was there something that leaked out? Who was capable enough to overpass his skills and hunt her down?

Of course they had gone after her, after all she was nothing but a common college student. No training, no sense of self-preservation, hell not even physical condition to outrun her pursuers. No, she didn't even have the faintest clue of what kind of vermin plagued this type of business. Her innocence couldn't possible picture the kind of wicked people that existed and what they were capable of. She was just an innocent girl, and that's exactly why he had refused to accept her on the team.

It had been on Sydney, the night before they boarded the plane to L.A. He had requested her to pay him a visit once she was over with her training with Cobb on the adjacent room. She walked in with her cheery smile and her innocent doe eyes, wondering why could possibly the Point Man wanted from her. After asking her to make herself comfortable, she sat on the border of his bed, swinging her legs due to the height of the mattress. He resisted the impulse to chuckle at this childish behavior. Remembering why he had called her, he cleared his throat and began to talk.

He still remembered how furious she was when he explained her why her job had been a one time only. She had jumped out of the bed and do exaggerated hand gestures. Trying to convince him over and over that she was up for the job, that she didn't care what could happen to her and she was more than willing to take the risks that came along with it. As long as she kept on building dreams and have the mighty power of the pure creation.

He had expected this reaction, so he remained stoic and refused her in the end firmly. She fumed and glared him with such intensity that Arthur swore his eyes were about to catch on fire. She clenched her fists and stormed out of his hotel room, almost smashing the door behind her. Also he had expected her to ignore him the following morning, she didn't spare him a glance, not even when Cobb reviewed the schemes for the last time. Even if he had anticipated this, that didn't ease the sense of guilt on the pitch of his stomach. So it was natural she continued to ignore him, even on the plane. But of course that was part of the plan so that didn't bug him that much.

When the job started, and everything had gone downhill, he wasn't concerned about her anger anymore. The survival of him and his team was the only think he could think about. He felt anger bubbling inside, he was angry at himself for failing to find that tiny but really important detail about Fisher's trained mind. He even had taken out on her. She fought back of course, but he was so pissed to even care. Everything was going wrong in so many ways, out of control, that he felt unbalanced and somehow scared that they couldn't make it alive.

So when they made it safely to the second level, and his mind was clearer, he remembered how bitter she really was. Instead of the familiar teasing and the cheeky smiles, she was asking him about Mr. Charles in such a serious tone that could had made Cobb proud. He started to explain about the purpose of the gambit when he heard a clear opening to ease things with her when she told him about Cobb not following his own advice. He had succeeded in making her snort. It wasn't much but at least her defenses were a little lower.

Everything was going smoothly, there were no projections pointing guns around them, not sight of any possible threat. That was until the earth started to shake. He sensed her body to stiffen as she gazed around, seeing how menacing the stares from the projections were. Her fear was alerting them, driving more attention to him than was necessary. He needed her to remain calm and collected, she was no use if she couldn't keep composed. He tried to explain her what exactly was happening in an attempt to calm her down. It had been futile. Resisting the impulse to roll his eyes, he opted for the easiest way to reboot her mind and keep her steady. He had tricked her into a kiss.

He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it, but it had been so brief, a mere brush of lips, so it was almost impossible to even remember how it had felt like. After that he sensed she was calmer and a little less angry with him, even after they woke up at the plane and they took their luggage on the airport. She even half smiled at him before taking her suitcase and disappearing into the crowd. He presumed her brain finally grasped the dangers of the job and took his advice. And that was probably why she didn't try to look for them after that, not even having Miles so close by. This gave Arthur some reassurance; he had succeeded into protecting her. Keeping her away from all the threats and hazards from the underworld.

And yet… in the end, it had gotten her.

The Point Man cursed, knitting his brows. He had done exactly what he was supposed to, he had protected her by keeping her away from the fire, rejecting probably the best architect he had worked with. And after he went through all the trouble for what? So she would get in danger anyway? 'Nice going' he thought bitterly.

He felt something vibrating on his jacket pocket, well knowing what it was, he pulled out his cellphone and checked the screen. Waiting no longer he pressed the green button and placed the device on his ear.

"What you got?" Arthur asked as he drummed his fingers on the desk.

"What we need" a cheery voice responded on the other side.

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><p><strong>AN:** No, I haven't forgotten about this story either. Just needed to check my notes and sit on the bloody chair in front of the computer, and voila!

Liked it? Review it! Please? :D


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